The Nintendo Effect

So, it's out. With surprisingly little hype (at least in my current gaming circles), the Nintendo 3DS is here.

Initial impressions have been mixed. First I was tempted, then I wasn't, but now I find myself tempted again. The launch line-up isn't exactly mind blowing, but then, when is a launch line-up amazing? Pretty rare I'd say. There are a couple of highlights though, Street Fighter IV looks great and Ghost Recon is apparently a rather good game. PES is also there, and whilst I know most people prefer FIFA these days, personally I prefer Konami's efforts, and this plays as well as the rest. The lukewarm line-up aside, my urge to indulge in the 3D side of gaming is luring me more and more. So that's it, I'm inevitably going to buy one aren't I? Well..........

The trouble is I have a bit of a dilemma about purchasing so soon after launch. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly no stranger to buying consoles early on. I had the PS2 on launch day, and had the Wii about a month after its release. But it's the Wii and the DS that are causing the problem for me. Y'see, I've been burnt a little by Nintendo and now I'm wary. Let me explain...

Cast you mind back to late 2006. The Wii was almost upon us and we were being tantalised by trailers of people acting out their gaming moves. I watched (whilst salivating) at that Red Steel trailer. The guy sat in a comfy chair in his swanky lounge whilst pointing his virtual gun at the screen. So immersed was the gentlemen that he was actually dodging the virtual bullets in real life. "That's it" I thought to myself, "I may not be able to afford a PS3 when it comes out, but this looks like the future". The idea of playing the kind of games I know and love but in a completely new way sucked me in hook, line and sinker. Things looked good at the start. Red Steel was great fun although not perfect by any means, and whilst pointing a Wiimote at the screen seemed a little strange, it offered the new experience that I'd hoped for. Then it happened...

The party game market took hold. The non-gaming fraternity started seeing the potential fun in owning the little white box of tricks for the odd game here and there. The 'casual gamer' market was well and truly at full pace and the developers saw the opportunity to make a quick buck. "Why make an effort with the games when the Wii owning public don't read reviews, aren't particularly knowledgeable and will buy anything as long as it has the words 'sports' or 'party' in the title" I can imagine the devs saying. The market got drowned in shovelware, I got bored of sifting through the junk, desperately trying to find a decent game, and my love affair with the Wii was over.

Nintendo loved it though, sales were through the roof and it appears that they really had tapped into a niche market. The same strategy was applied to the DS. Brain Training games and puzzle games were made in abundance, and with advertising campaigns showing that the older generation can indeed own a handheld gaming without looking a bit odd, the DS's success had been laid out.

The thing is, I hate those types of games. I wasn't brought up on a diet of crap games like Beach Brain Sports Training Party 5: Extra Party Edition! I don't want an f'ing party, I just want a deep and fulfilling game!!!

Now the 3DS looks like it holds loads of potential. The list of games in development looks promising. Along with the already released SFIV etc there are games such as Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater and the Resi games. It all looks good, and if they keep this trend of software up then I reckon the DS could be part of my gaming future. But a part of my brain thinks "hang on, wait for the shovelware". If DS owners choose to upgrade to the 3DS, then surely a lot of those won't want to blast zombies, they'll want a puzzle instead.

If this happens will the 3DS start to go down the same road as the old DS? £180 for a big 3D producing paperweight doesn't float my boat.

It'll be interesting, that's for sure.

Let the motion gaming battle commence

Motion gaming is hardly a new development. Give Nintendo the credit it deserves. The Wii was very much the Last Chance Saloon for Nintendo, at least as far as releasing full blown consoles go. The company knew that it simply couldn't compete on the same technical level as the other consoles on the market, and Nintendo had to think laterally about where to take their new console.

Behold, one motion controller later and a massive new casual gaming audience tapped into, the rest as they say is history.

Inevitably, Sony and Microsoft have now decided that they fancy a slice of the casual gaming pie. This move will always prompt the familiar fanboy reactions from all camps. Trawling through the numerous gaming forums on the internet shows all of the usual responses to the decision. Wii owners shouting "Sony and Microsoft can't think of anything new", or "they've already chosen which direction to take their console, they should stick with it". The level of anger never ceases to amaze me when gamers try to defend their beloved console.

In truth I find these reactions somewhat bizarre. Why do they feel the need to defend their chosen consoles so vigorously? I can only deduce that it's because they find the other machines as some kind of threat, or are they in denial? On a subconscious level do they actually think that the Wii isn't quite as good as they want to believe? Or maybe it's simply because they've seen the tech that Sony and Microsoft are developing and they're scared that Wii owners are suddenly going to say "wow, Sony have motion controls now and it's in HD!!!! Quick love, get on the internet and bring up eBay, I'm going to sell this bad boy!!". Hardly a realistic assumption is it? On the other hand 360 and PS3 owners alike look down on Wii and try to claim that it's not a real console. It must be hard for these people knowing that the Wii has outsold them all despite it's last generation 480p resolution graphics. Just try claiming to them that graphics aren't everything. WOW!! You'll be shot down in flames in an instant as a "poor, can't afford a real console, casual gaming" moron who doesn't know anything about gaming. Well, I've only been playing for 25 years, what would I know eh?

So what about this new motion controller tech? Well, Sony have the Playstation Move. Initial impressions of the device for me are mixed. Let's make one thing clear, it's a bit of a Wiimote clone. They can spin the details as much as they like, they can claim it's "more than a Wiimote", but sticking a couple of glowing balls on the top doesn't make it brand spanking new. An Ann Summers 'toy' yes, but new? Okay, it does feature some enhancements over the Wiimote such as use of the coloured globes to help track movement and height rather than the Wiimotes old fashioned infra-red method. The globes also change colour depending on player's surroundings to ensure that the PS Move is easily seen. This new technology also means that the movement won't be lost should someone walk in front of the TV. Very nice. And from the demos that have been shown so far it looks as though it does transfer player movements brilliantly, but it IS still a Wiimote with some new technology thrown in. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it, the Wiimote works well and is proven. Fair play to Sony for following suit, just don't dress it up as some sort of revolutionary gaming device because the gaming public aren't stupid, they can see through the PR bulls**t.

Microsoft have taken a rather different approach to the motion gaming/family ethos. Project Natal as it is known doesn't feature a controller at all. "You are the controller" the trailer says. Initial impressions are very impressive with a Natal version of Burnout getting a very positive response, Natal seemingly being able to track even the finest movements. So that's it then, Microsoft have managed the holy grail that is full body motion capture. The gaming world has no limits. Freedom in gaming it seems is a reality. Hold on though, let's take a step back for a second and take a long hard look. There are no buttons on Natal and this surely has to cause some issues. Let's take the game of football as an example. The trailer touches on this genre of game with a penalty shootout. Fair enough, but what happens if you want to play a conventional football game? How do you control it? In a third person view? How do you run? Jogging around your lounge can't be right surely, especially as you will need to be looking at the TV at all times. FPS games are another difficult genre. You can point your imaginary gun at the TV, turn on the spot and shoot (ala Wii), but how do you walk? Stamping your feet? No thanks. It seems to me that whilst Natal seems to offer new found freedom, it also seems to be marred by a new found restriction. It's obviously too early to tell how Microsoft are proposing to overcome such issues and I have no doubt they have something planned. Maybe they are choosing to ignore these genres altogether, instead opting for the conventional controller should a player want to indulge in that kind of game.

Those that know me will also know that I am a 360 and Wii owner and don't really have a bias towards any one console. A good game is a good game, a good peripheral is a good peripheral regardless of the system it is on. To me the PS Move is showing the most potential for the new motion controllers. Rip off or no rip off, the PS Move seems to offer the most flexibility with a balance of motion controls if you want to get active, or the buttons for the times when you want to be a couch potato.

Truth is nobody really knows what impact the new motion controllers will have for the future of all three consoles. God knows, the Wii and it's family friendly nature has made it damn difficult to predict. One thing is for certain though, it's certainly going to be interesting watching it all unfold this Autumn at the proposed release dates.

Just please don't let us drown in games like 'Family House Babysitting Party 13'......please!!

Hell yeah I wanna level up my dolphin!

While I've been suffering from the cold that is doing the rounds in these parts I've also been playing on the second incarnation of Endless Ocean from Arika. The first game had a very low key release two years ago but quickly gained a positive reputation among fans of swim 'em ups. The simple yet effective control system returns for this second outing but instead of another almost plot-free environment this time there is a much greater sense of involvement and theatre as you chase around the globe trying to solve the mystery behind the Song of Dragons.

The improvements over the original release are many. The graphics are slightly more polished, the variety of diving locations has increased, the partners you find along the way to dive with are greater in number (and you no longer have to decide which animal partner to keep if you befriend another), the underwater communication when diving with a friend is vastly superior, the list is a long one.

Unlike the first instalment of the series, which was much more free roaming, the single player game has many different tasks for you to complete to unlock new features, more tasks, and rewards. One of them is to meet, befriend, and then train nearly a dozen dolphins.



There are a wide range of animals for you to see on your journey. As well as the dolphins there are sharks, whales, rays, sea cucumbers, starfish, seals, penguins, crabs, and unsurprisingly a wide variety of fish. The marine encyclopaedia which stores all of the information on the species you see runs to 81 pages. I'm off to find the last few elusive coral reef dwellers so that I can complete that task and gain a new title.

A new title? Oh yes. There are 155 titles by which you can choose to be known in the game. Each one is awarded for completing an achievement. Some achievements like, for example, diving at night are easier to complete than others such as swim 1000km. When you reach 60,90,120 and 150 titles you unlock a special gift. So far I've received the first three of them and they are quite nice additions to my underwater attire .. .. ..

Be prepared for a million comparisons to MK!

Mario Kart is a strange phenomenon to me. It's quite hard to put into words. I would probably say that it's the most annoying and frustrating game I have ever played, no really! Trouble is, I can be quite irritable when I play a game. Just witnessing me playing CoD online is an eye opening experience with foul language and anger bursting from every conceivable pore.

Now imagine me taking that anger and transferring it to Mario Kart. Picture the scenario, I'm in the lead for the entire race until I reach approximately three corners from the end. Now I get hit by a blue shell and stop dead. I immediately get hit again by a red shell. Then I get immediately hit again by a POW block before finally being smacked into next week by some gimp on a Bullet Bill!! I'm at an unavoidable standstill during this whole episode until I finally manage to get my speed back up. I pass the finish line....LAST!! From 1st place to last in approximately 10 seconds. That is what Mario Kart is all about and that is what sends my 'rage'ometer off the scale. I end up punching my leg in sheer anger!!

This episode is what finally caused me to sell Mario Kart. I wanted to love it I really did, but there's only so many self inflicted dead legs I can take. Yet strangely, I still feel fairly affectionate towards MK but I'm not sure why.

So along comes Sega and Sonic with their offering for some karting madness. I was all ready to rubbish the game without a second thought, "pah, it's just a crappy MK clone" I'd say.

So is it a crappy clone? Well, it's a clone alright, that can't be denied, but crappy? No, far from it!!

I was in the fortunate position of being able to download this game on my 360 to get a feel for it without having to spend my hard earned (well, 'earned' at least) money on it. I was pleasantly surprised. The game is a sight faster than MK that's for sure and the art style is colourful and bold. Although I took a shine to the 360 version it somehow didn't feel quite right on that console. It was the potential of the Wii version that got me excited and it is this version that I decided to purchase.

Let's get this out of the way first, Sumo Digital have blatantly copied many aspects of MK. All the weapons from MK are there, only with a different skin. Instead of red shells you have red rockets, instead of green shells you have green boxing gloves, instead of banana skins you have traffic cones, instead of the ink squid thingy you have a dazzling rainbow.........you get the idea. So there we are, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing (or S&SASR as the kids are calling it on the streets) has almost no original ideas, at least as far as weaponry goes.

But to be honest I couldn't care less because one thing I did initially notice from the demo was that although the weapons do come into play, they are nowhere near as punishing as they are in MK. Getting hit by a weapon will usually cost you a position or two and once you've been hit you are made invincible for a few seconds allowing you to regain your momentum. Now that I have played the full game I can confirm that my initial observations about the weapons are accurate. They are tuned enough to be a factor in a race, but never to a devastating level. It's this momentum in a race that starts to separate this it from its MK counterpart.

The emphasis with this game is focused very much on speed as opposed to MK's slower weapon heavy gameplay. If I was to make a comparison on track design I certainly wouldn't compare it to MK, I'd say it has more in common with Wipeout or F-Zero with tracks twisting like a corkscrew, turning upside down, loop de looping and more. Speed burst pads are available throughout every course (as you would expect) and are positioned in such a way that you can do almost an entire lap without slowing down. If you miss that vital speed burst have no fear, the familiar drift system from MK has made it into this game also. Simply turn into the bend, hit the drift button and build up your boost. The longer the drift the better the boost, but hey, you've played MK, you know how it works!!

Graphically the game is pretty, but is a slightly mixed bag. The visuals are much busier than MK with so much stuff happening beyond the confines of the track it's unreal!! Take the Roulette Road track. As the name suggests it's based on a casino. This means that you have a giant roulette wheel spinning underneath a transparent section of track, lottery balls rolling down a metal chute, giant fruit machine wheels spinning. It's truly manic. Unfortunately it can be argued that whilst all this very pleasing to watch, it can make the visuals look cluttered and a little 'unclean' when compared to MK's more simple design method. All this graphical content comes at a price when it comes to framerate also. It's certainly not as smooth as MK but it is a consistent framerate without any slowdown and is certainly not an issue during play. I don't really notice it now to be honest.

The audio is nice with some catchy music, decent engine effects that are different depending on which vehicle and character you're using. The only thing may be the commentator, he can be a little irritating at times, but not to worry, you can turn him off if you wish.

The game also supports online play. Whilst it is fairly basic it is at least solid. I have yet to play a race that has lag and the framerate stays consistent all the way through. One feature I do like is the way that it will fill the remaining grid with AI cars if there aren't enough players in the room. This ensures a nice busy race every time.

Whether you're racing offline or online you will accumulate 'Sega Miles'. These are credits that can be used to purchase other characters, music and courses. Whilst this is really a simple 'unlock stuff as you play' mechanic, it does at least feel like you have a choice in what you unlock first. Do you choose to save up your miles to unlock that expensive character first or do you purchase the cheap stuff early on?

It's a sad thing that this game gets caught in MK's shadow. I honestly believe the mixed reviews this game has received is due to the "it's not MK so why bother trying" mindset. If you take a step back and try to judge the game on its own merits it does a fine job and is up to the task. Yes the controls are the same, most of the weapons are the same and the drift mechanic is the same, but it's the courses and the speed that makes this game feel different. I just hope more people buy it because I believe this game can sit proudly alongside Mario Kart in anyone's collection as the other "great karting game" for the Wii.

Overall score: 90%

The graphical debate pops it's head up again!!

Ever since the release of the Wii there has been a debate of graphics vs gameplay. The Wii owners will argue that it's the way you play the game that makes the machine relevant, while the 'next gen' contingent claim that graphics help to suck you into the game.

To some extent I agree with both of these statements, but lately I have been pondering this debate more.

Y'see, Codemasters are the source of my musings. I have always loved Codies right from the C64 days of BMX Simulator and the Dizzy series but I have started to get a little disappointed with them of late. The problem comes with this current gen of machines and in particular their Wii releases. The problem started with Dirt 2. As a big Dirt fan on the 360 I was really looking forward to applying some Wii steering wheel loveliness to the hardcore rallying action. Things looked promising as this is a driving game and Codies do some of the best road based games of recent years. Games like TOCA Touring Cars on the original Playstation, Race Driver on PS2 and Grid on 360 have proved that for high speed thrills you can rely on Codemasters to produce the goods.........until now.

Put simply, Dirt 2 on Wii turned out to be a complete dogs dinner!! Codemasters decided to hand development rights over to Sumo Digital rather than develop in house which didn't exactly go according to plan. Graphically the game was average, and before I hear the cries of "THE WII ISN'T ABOUT GRAPHICS" I agree. The problem is I love using the cockpit view in racing games, I find it the most exciting way to play, so for this game to omit the cockpit view completely is terrible! Just to get this into perspective, TOCA Touring Cars on PS1 managed to have a cockpit view, PS1 FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! I have also seen what Sumo can do with Outrun 2 on the original XBox, it's gorgeous! This isn't a case of the Wii having less power, this is a case of developers being lazy! All of this may have been forgiven if the motion controls worked but the steering couldn't keep up with the pace of cornering needed in the race. Overall a massive disappointment.

So now Sumo are at it again, this time with a massive F1 license. This game at least ticks most of the boxes, the steering controls are spot on and it has the cockpit view I wanted. It's fairly smooth and chugs along at a blistering pace. So far so good then, but why are the graphics poor again? Luckily this doesn't seem to detract from the gameplay which is the most important thing, but don't devs think that Wii owners are worth the extra effort? I can't help feeling that after all this time some developers have still got the mental attitude of "Wii owners don't care about visuals because they didn't buy a PS3, let's cut the development budget".

From what I've played I love F1 2009 and I'm certainly going to buy it, but by doing so am I condoning lazy visuals? Am I proving them right? Do we deserve great controls, great games and great visuals all at the same time?

Answers on a postcard...............

Icarian:Kindred Spirits

As is often the case when I come to write about games I have a confession to make. I'm rather partial to well designed side on platformers. Oh I've dallied with the 3D and the psuedo 3D but my heart belongs to the side on platformer so when I saw a new wiiware title I thought I'd give it a go. I exchanged 1000 Wii Points for Icarian:Kindred Spirits and began playing.

The story line is your usual mortal falls in love with goddess which is forbidden but in an unexpected change of heart the senior deity allows the goddess to search for her missing beau when he disappears after a crisis affair. Graphically it is a scorched ancient desert replete with columns and pillars, amphorae and viaducts. The soundtrack is atmospheric and also conveys a feeling of Ancient Greece played as it is on instruments such as the harp, santur and duduk.

The game can be played either one player with wiimote and nunchuk or two player where the second player assists the first by taking over control of some of the powers that are accumulated during the levels. The first is the ability to grab and move some objects, the second is to control the paths of wind, I've not yet reached a third ability but I believe that it is some kind of lightning strike. You run, walk, jump and fly through the levels trying to avoid enemies and scenery while solving puzzles that will allow you to progress further. A couple of times I've kicked myself once I've spotted the choice of path (it always seems so obvious once you've solved the puzzle) but on the whole the seasoned gamer won't have too many difficulties in smoothly progressing between restart points.

The controls are good and responsive with a feel and style similar to Lostwinds, another excellent wiiware platform game. The learning curve is well balanced carefully introducing new elements of peril at a steady and manageable pace. The only exception to that has been the 'boss' areas that I've encountered where there is a sharp, but not unmanageable, rise in concentration required.

Spread across the game there are 100 bonus items hidden away for you to collect in devious and sometimes seemingly inaccessible spots. Collecting all of these should add some length to the game which, unfortunately is reported to be very short. Some people are claiming to have completed it in under 3 hours.

For what it is, a £7 wiiware title, I rate this game highly. All of the different components fall into place to give a worthwhile experience which and I will be sad once I've completed it.

Come and share your flights of fantasy on the Gameov3r Forum


UPDATE: News today that due to a trademark issue (Kid Icarus if you're curious) the game will be renamed NyxQuest:Kindred Spirits. Not quite as elegant a title I'm sure you'll agree?

Opoona: First Thoughts

With my £6 credit from trading in NiGHTS burning a hole in my pocket I grabbed Opoona from the shelf of Blockbuster. Not cheap at £30 but I needed another gaming fix. I've played for a couple of hours and my first impressions of this quirky RPG?

Buy it.

It's strange. The graphics for the characters are very stylised and some of the backgrounds are visually rather pretty. The game world is a mix of science fiction technology and untouched nature. The accompanying music is electro-dancey and sets the mood well, encouraging you to progress at pace. The progression is as you would expect from any RPG .. .. .. a bit of story followed by learning the basics and acquiring new weapons, skills, abilities and friends .. .. .. battles to earn money and experience points. It all gels well together into an enjoyable experience that makes you want to see what will happen next.

The game can be controlled purely by using the nunchuk (a feature that was promoted when the game was first announced) and that's what I've been doing. It took me about 20 mins to become comfortable with the controls but at the moment I think they work really well.

The only negative point for me is that the battles are random battles. I'm not a fan. Apart from that though the battles are really rather fun! Once it starts there is no my turn / your turn .. .. .. it's real time action so quick responses are needed. Use the analogue stick to fire your bonbon at the enemies either underhand or overhand, with slice or fade.. .. .. you choose the strength of shot by the length of time you hold the stick before releasing it. You can add powerups to your bonbon to increase it's effectiveness in defeating the enemies as well as increasing your defense.

The objectives within the game are set by your career options. Each career has a license which you must complete before moving to the next grade, from trainee, through 1*, 2* etc. I'm not far enough in to have begun more than the first career path but I'm assuming, from the room where the new licenses are issued, that there's at least 20 different choices. The tasks that I've completed so far are "survive 10 battles" and "collect 5 eggs", my current assignment is to head somewhere and kill all of the baddies there .. .. .. .. I may be some time.

Throw your bonbons around on the Gameov3r Forum

Wii Firmware Update 4.0

Finally, after Miyamoto and Reggie hinted at a storage solution around E3 time last year, the expected firmware update has arrived that allows Wii Channels to be stored on an SD card. It integrates well into the existing Wii Menu and once accessed follows a similar format to the data maintenance screens. The new features allow access to channels stored on the SD card, letting you play them without having to copy them first to your Wii memory. Like this



Need help with your storage solutions? Ask us on the Gameov3r Forum

Nintendo Classic Controller PRO

The controller above has appeared on Nintendo's Japanese website and it appears they've been listening to the criticisms leveled at the original Classic Controller.

The main ones being that the analogue sticks have been spaced further apart so your thumbs will no longer meet in the middle and the shoulder buttons have been moved into a more conventional layout. Of course you probably already spotted the added grips dangling at the bottom and that the cable now comes out of the top.

When it's coming isn't clear or whether we'll even get to see it over here.

Control yourself on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Guitar Hero World Tour

I was in Tesco earlier this morning. I’m full of a cold, it’s almost a man-flu but not quite, and I had to go for supplies. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, balsam tissues for my delicate nose, a bottle of Bell’s and a pot of honey to make Hot Toddies, a selection of Sunday papers and game mags, red chillies and 6 large eggs.

Seeing as I was there I thought I’d take a look at the dvd’s and games. I’m not that ill! Just don’t let my wife know.

What caught my eye was this, Tesco are offering Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii, the XBox 360 and PS3 for just £50 including the full size wireless guitar. That is nothing short of a bargain!

According to the Gameov3r forum it’s been at £50 since the middle of November so I wasn’t expecting to still see this offer today. Did I buy it? No. There’s no way I could get it into the house un-noticed! Maybe one day in the week though.

Rock on over to the Gameov3r FORUM

Decisions, decisions! A World at War Review

Forum member and all round dreadlocked good guy Huzzellio has been in a bit of a dilema recently. Huzz, a COD 4 afficionado that had just sampled the delights of COD 5 WaW beta on his 360, faced a problem. Buy World at War for the Wii or for the 360?

What a dilema I've had! In all truth my Wii hasn't done a lot of gaming in the last few weeks, in fact make that the last few months! Since Mario Kart was released I haven't even considered the Wii for my gaming kicks. There just hasn't been anything to really grab my attention.

The 360 has been dominating my gaming time of late, and while I love the 360 I can't help feeling frustrated at my lack of interest in the little white Nintendo box of joy. I want to play it, I want to love it but somehow it always seems to just miss the mark, or fails to capture my imagination. I'm not sure why! Maybe I just prefer the more 'hardcore' type of game (although I do really hate that expression).

Anyway I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah, the dilema. Call of Duty: World at War has been released on my beloved 360 AND the Wii. In my current mindset it would be obvious to go with the big noisy Microsoft red ring of death powerhouse that is the XBox. In fact I'd already been told that I was definitely getting the game on 360 for christmas. Buying the game on Wii as well would be nothing short of madness wouldn't it? But wait....maybe I should give Nintendo another chance? The thing that first attracted me to the Wii was that trailer for Red Steel, y'know the one - that guy sitting in his armchair pointing his Wiimote at the screen like a real gun, getting so into the game he was physically dodging the bullets around his living room!

This could be the Wii's chance to finally shine! So that was it, decision made. I went out, traded Mario Kart (risky move as it was the only game keeping my Wii alive) and bought it.

So the time had come, I fired up my dusty Wii and inserted the disc.

First impressions were positive. The menu screen looked similar to the 360 beta that I'd played to death. So I went straight to multiplayer to mix it up on my favourite mode 'Free for All'. It searched for a match and found one in good time, easily as quick as the 360 equivalent. So far so good! First map - Makin!

Now I should explain, I know Makin very well. It was on the beta and is the home to my one and only 19 kill streak. I was viewing this as the perfect opportunity to show Wii owners how we do it in Huzz town!

The map loaded quickly and then I was faced with it. I could see it was Makin, it looked like Makin yet somehow it looked different. A low res version of the map I've played a million times. Then I moved.......a lower frame rate. Where as the 360 was silky smooth, the Wii was packing around half the frames. And then I tried to navigate my way around. Suddenly I was walking into walls, looking up at the sky, looking down at the floor, spraying bullets like they were going out of fashion......I COULDN'T PLAY PROPERLY!!!!! It's a weird thing, it was like I was playing CoD 5 but in some strange parallel universe.

So there it was, a low res, less smooth, hard to control version of a game I thought I knew very well.

So I made a huge mistake in forking out for this game, trading my copy of MK in the process right? Are you kidding? I LOVED EVERY SECOND!!

Hold on....rewind a moment. Remember how I said I fell in love with the Wii because of the Red Steel trailers? That was my dream and until now no FPS had gripped me. Okay the graphics are worse than the 360 but did I expect anything else? NO! They are worse but they are very GOOD Wii graphics. The game isn't as smooth, did this come as a surprise? NO!! The frame rate IS lower but they never seem to stutter and it is very consistant. The game is hard to control compared to the 360, am I bothered? NO!! I'm not twiddling two sticks, I'm pointing a gun at the screen for crying out loud! Of course it's harder!!

The fact is the Wii version offers a very different feeling to it's higher powered cousins. As I've mentioned in other posts, the 360 and PS3 versions feel like 'CoD 4.5: World War 2 Edition'. It's not a bad thing, I love CoD 4, but it still feels like an expansion pack. But the Wii feels like a fresh game. Yes I'm struggling with the controls (at the moment) but I'm loving the challenge of trying to master them.

I know they've stripped out some game modes, and no doubt people will always gripe about it, but the gameplay itself makes up for it.

This is the first game where I believe owning both version is the correct thing to do. Treyarch have taken a great game and added the Wii dynamic to the gameplay, the dynamic that I dreamed about since the days of the Red Steel trailer.

So has the Wii finally come out of retirement for Private Huzzellio? SIR YES SIR! But if you come across me on the battlefield, go easy on me. I still can't get to grips with the controls!!

Thanks for that Huzz. Now I've read your review and also General Hillyjo's relentless recruiting on the forum, ready for his first skirmish, I am sorely tempted to get WaW for my Wii. I'm also beginning to wonder if you and Hilly have perfected Jedi mind control!

More reviews, opinion, Jedi mind tricks, and moist patches on the Gameov3rFORUM. Best to avoid the moist patches.

Wii Bomberman Blast

Forum member Tooms gives us his impressions of the latest Wii Bomberman game Bomberman Blast. Amongst other things. It's all yours Tooms!

First things first, I like Bomberman. When we get together with friends, Bomberman is always played. No matter what else. It seems to be universal. Even the Wife enjoys it.

Normally we play the Gamecube version. It always involves swearing and kicking and a lot of laughing. And picking on people. Bomberman is all about picking on people.

When I was a kid **beware – too much personal info alert** I used to go to a shop in my local town, that sold computer games. Do they still exist? Not GAME or Gamestation, but a one man band type thing. I used to frequent 2 others in my local larger town. In one of these is where I first played Street Fighter 2 arcade machine (and a man who could finish it as Zangief only using spinning pile drivers and getting a perfect on every level !!), and saw an Atari ST with graphics that were truly amazing.

Anyway my local shop had a Bomberman tournament. On a Super NES with the little multi adapter thingy that I so wanted to own but was never allowed! Anyway I liked Bomberman, I played and managed to kick my friends ass and I won the competition. I got a water bottle. YAY ME !!

Now it is 2008 and I have a Wii and Bomberman has finally been released onto the sleek white bundle of joy. So what is it like??

Well I turned it on and had a quick go the other day, but I played last night for a decent go, when I should have been re sealing the bath. Hmmm... not in the good books.

Moving on!!

The first thing you notice is it is very pretty. And there is no pointing. Nope. This is a wii game and the whole pointing aspect is taken away. You turn the remote sideways and play like a NES game. Very retro.

Then you notice how many options there are if you want to faff. You can register your name, and leave it at that. Or you can change your winning pose, your comments for wifi battle (4 of em, you write them yourself – YAAAAYYYY) and a whole bunch of other things.

Right then, sod that, name in, lets get a game. Then you notice how many different variations there are. Battle arena normal, everyday bomberman, and even that you can have normal sized or bigger. But then again, you can have 8 players at once. This is not the SNES version at all !!

And it is Bomberman. I like Bomberman. I loved Bomberman on the SNES, and this is almost exactly the same. It is still infuriatingly addictive and annoying at the same time. I really want to blow the others up. I don’t want to get blown up. And I love it.

So you can change how many battles you play, whether it is the first person to win so many games, or play for points. Change power ups, if they can be destroyed, whether there are viruses, everything.

And 8 players?? I am SO not used to 8 players. You can turn em off if you want. But where's the fun in that?

And even better, you can have 8 real people on one wii if you want, and if you have enough thingys. 4 Wiimotes and 4 Gamecube pads and you are there. That is a party I want to have.

There are some new power ups. Some of which you shake your remote to activate. I think the shield is my new favourite. If you ever played bomberman on the Gameboy, you will know you could get a power up that meant you could not get blown up. Made the game a bit easy:

“come towards me mister bad guy”, drop bomb, stand still, bomb blows up, I live, he doesn’t, – “murahahahahaha”!

There are different competitions. There is now one where if you get hit by a blast, a clock appears above your head, and you have 20 seconds to live !! What would you do in that time?? That’s right, try and find another player to pass it on to. Like a virus, touch another player, and the timer passes to them.

I had a lot of fun on that level playing. It makes it a bit interesting wondering if you should try blowing yourself up to pass it to another player. Hehehe

There is the king of the ring. Find a crown, carry if around, try not to get blown up. If you do, you lose the Crown and someone else can pick it up. Person wearing it at the end wins the round.

I can see a lot of people being picked on in that game !!

I think the biggest difference is the revenge. When you die, you can choose to have revenge. You get in a tiny flying saucer and haunt the edge of the screen. I expect you have all seen this. However new to me is, if you manage to kill someone, you swap and get back in the game and they get to try to wreak revenge. Love it.

There is a friend code *groan* - 12 numbers long. And you can just choose world wide or continental battles, either as a group or on your own. They all seem to be ranked when you play in the worldwide or continental. And you seem to be penalised if you keep disconnecting during a game. Quite heavily too it appears.

But yeah, friend rooms can be created, or join others. I had a quick look and no one seemed to be on in the worldwide room, it is not like Mariokart I guess where you can join in after just one game, but I will try leaving it connected at some point and see what pops up.

But like I said, loads of options.

Anyway, I love it. I cant wait to play it with humans rather than the computer. But I will. And I know I will keep coming back to it.

1000 points seems a bit steep, but with the options available, and the joy I know it will bring (as well as the annoyance), I reckon it is totally worth it.

2 Toomsy thumbs, well up !!

Need your fuse lit? Just don't strike a match too close to THE CELLAR DOOR. Tooms can probably explain why on the FORUM.

Tiger Woods Wii Artwork

An interesting topic was raised by Buckle on the Gameov3r forums today regarding Wii game packaging. In particular the packaging for the Wii version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09. All other formats use the exact same artwork with the Wii version being decidedly less mature looking in my opinion.

You can see the cover shots above. Why would EA think it necessary to do this particularly for what is now such a well recognised series and does it bother you?

You can view the topic here or feel free to leave a comment.

Have your say on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Wii Hard Drive Fake!

It is with great shock that this image of Nintendos storage solution for the Wii circulating on the internet has been proved fake. The phrase 'no shit Sherlock' comes to mind with the simple facts that it looks like some kind of heating solution, it's blue and it's over twice the size of a Wii!

We'll just have to make do with our 512Mb for a while longer it seems.

Got a dehumidifier or air conditioning unit that looks like a Wii hard drive solution? Show us on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Space, The Final Frontier...

Nintendo are finally coming round to the idea that the storage issues we keep complaining about when it comes to the Wii are actually affecting all gamers and not just the hardcore demographic as previously stated by Nintendo Europe's Laurent Fischer. Referring to these hardcore as "geeks and otaku" wasn't the smartest thing to do and he later attempted to retract the words saying they were taken out of context. He made a mess of that too by the way.

Reggie Fils-Aime now says they have "a sense of urgency to solve it" with many games lacking the downloadable content of other consoles plus VC games, Wii Ware, channels and even games like Mario Kart and Wii Fit coming with their own channels to install, space issues are getting worse by the day. A proper acknowledgment is at least something to go on now though.

There's plenty of space left on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Wii Fit: One Man's Journey

An avid fan's wait for the new video game and fitness simulator Wii Fit, and his experience when it finally releases!



Tell us about your journey on the GAMEOV3R Forum

They're Watching You

Having launched yesterday for some regions and coming to the UK on the 30th May, the new Nintendo Channel keeps you up to date with upcoming games with access to trailers, mini-documentaries, product demonstrations, gameplay videos and even the ability to download DS demos straight to your DS.

It seems part of this new channel allows Nintendo to collect all kinds of data about you should you let them, but here's the catch... if you don't opt in you lose access to those DS demos.

So what information does Nintendo collect from you each time you use the channel then? Well there's quite a list which you'll find here. Quite a substantial amount of information I think most people would agree, but it's ok, it's all non-personal and completely anonymous... unless you have your Wii linked to your Nintendo account...

Does sharing this information worry you at all? Will you be opting in or bowing out? Come and vote on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Exploding DS's and Wii's

Just look at that! This is going to be so GREAT! One of my all time favourite 8 bit classics is coming to my DS AND Wii. Melbourne House and Krome Studios have finally seen the sense in re-releasing the best fighting game ever!

Both versions will have updated visuals, including some fantastic new animation - more on that in a moment, and sound while leaving the classic feel of the game untouched. If that sinks your retro boat don't worry as the original will, of course, be bundled along with a hybrid of the two styles.

Online capabilities? You bet there are. Remember FIST+? Well, online FIST+ style multiplayer is going to be great, a huge plus you could say, but it doesn't stop at FIST+. This is more like FIST +++++++! 6 fighters high, flying and sweep kicking across the screen. [doubt]Let's hope Nintendo WiFi is up to it. [/doubt]

Possibly as exciting as the online fighting is the new animation. Exploding Fist Wii and DS has Mortal Kombat style death moves!! Spine ripping, leg snapping, dismemberment and the all new, ACME-esque, TNT Punch that causes your opponents head to explode all in 8 bit style gory glory! I can't wait!!

The Wii version won't be a WiiWare or a C64 download either. It'll be a full on, budget, retail game and should be priced, along with the DS version, at £19.99.

Get those gaming black belts out and lets get ready to rumble .. sorry, wrong sport ... ready to bow and break limbs! Got something to say? Gameov3r FORUM for you then! Oh, ok, leave a smart arse reply instead.

Will Freeloader Survive New Firmware?

Despite the initial bravado from Datel on their Wii Freeloaders recent release, it seems Codejunkies don't quite share the same confidence in the product remaining functional. Datel have been quoted as saying that future Wii firmware updates would not break the functionality of the Freeloader but the latest response from Codejunkies goes more like this:

Q. What if Nintendo release a firmware update which affects the usage of the Wii Freeloader ?

A. No guarantee can be given of compatibility with future firmware releases so if online updates are performed on your console this may prevent Freeloader from Functioning correctly

We recommend that you consider the benefits of any online upgrade against the possible loss of compatibility with Freeloader and its functions.

A bit of a wait and see what happens when the next firmware update arrives then.

Are you a freeloader? Let us know on the GAMEOV3R forum

Club Nintendo Never So Good

But not in Europe.

We always get the shitty end of the stick. Even after the launch of the new Nintendo website and the arrival of Stars to Wii Points, the Stars Catalogue is still full of crap. If it's not crap, there has been the odd thing worth getting, then it's out of stock. Permanently. We get crap stuff! It's probably the stuff that Club Nintendo Japan laughed at during a board meeting and tossed into the bin only for the cleaner to come along and say, "Hey, why not get rid of this stuff in Europe and America! They'll love it. They love all our stuff." Well we don't. We want the good stuff.

I heard a while back that Nintendo would be releasing Wii compatible SNES Pads. OMG! I remember thinking. I WANT ONE! Finally I could play SFII on the VC just like I used to on my SNES. It's an inspired idea by Nintendo. There can be no SNES playing Wii owner that wouldn't want one. The release date is April 4th 2008 but of course the SNES Pad is only available from Club Nintendo Japan. You can cast a weepy glance at Nintendo of Japan's Club Nintendo site here.

There is a glimmer of hope for the rest of us though. A small chance that you can get yourself your very own SuperWiiNES Pad. Play Asia are going to be taking pre-orders very soon.

If Club Nintendo Japan is The Emperor then Club Nintendo Europe is the beggar. It's not fair [/stamping feet]. Why can't we have this cool stuff over here!? We want it! Envious much? Come and moan on the GameOv3r Forum.